


A Dance of Three

by sunset_oasis



Series: Rhythms of Love [22]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Postwar AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-30 18:42:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12114858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunset_oasis/pseuds/sunset_oasis
Summary: Padma Patil never planned to become friends with Ron Weasley after the war. (But she did.)She definitely didn't plan to get attracted by him, either. (But she did, anyway.)Then entered Blaise Zabini.





	A Dance of Three

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

 

Padma never thought that she would become friends with Ron Weasley.

She still remembered her annoyance and anger at the Yule Ball in their fourth year. It had been the first time she'd ever attended a ball of such a grand scale, and she'd been so looking forward to it, and then he had – well, it was best not to dwell much on it.

He seemed much more mature now, though. More considerate and understanding. His eyes were older, like they'd seen some things he would rather forget. Less judgmental, less black-and-white. Less facetious, more appreciative at times.

They were friends now, a little over a year the war had ended, both working in the Department of Transportation. They hanged out sometimes, at coffee shops where they discussed work and gossip. At muggle bars, competing their knowledge on muggle alcohols. In the tea room of the ministry, exchanging quick nods that one day subconsciously turning into quick smiles –

Padma was not attracted. Period.

 

* * *

 

Except maybe she was.

It wasn't something she wanted to admit, though. It was one thing to become friends with him – good friends even – but to want to date him seemed a step too far for her. She didn't think the two of them matched that well, anyway.

Remember the fourth year, she cautioned herself.

( _But he's changed_ , another voice inside her whispered.)

Padma groaned inwardly, as she found it harder and harder to suppress the bubbling feelings that she was continually pretending that didn't exist.

She was mostly successful.

 

* * *

 

Ron brought up the Ministry Gala casually. Overly casual, it seemed. An alarm rang inside her head, warning her against something. She smoothed her expression into an equally casual one as she turned to face him. "Yeah?" Padma asked, her voice light.

"Are you going?" he asked, scratching the back of his head a little. She tried not to let her eyes linger on his long, lean arms, not to trace it from the top of his shoulders to his large hands that were oddly attractive –

"Yeah," she said, with an easy shrug. Then she added compulsively – lied, actually – "And I've got a date."

He blinked. "Cool," he said, giving her a smile, and she felt a wave of disappointment that he wasn't disappointed, before reminding herself that she had no right to be disappointed. Of course he wasn't going to ask her.

In fact, she realized belatedly, he probably thought he didn't have the right to. Not after the disastrous Yule Ball. She bit her lips, surprisingly disturbed by the thought.

"See you there," he said.

"Do _you_  have a date?" Padma blurted out before she could stop herself.  _Subtle there, Patil,_  she chided herself.

"Oh, Hermione and I are going as friends," he explained. She suddenly remembered the news about Hermione dating Pansy Parkinson a few weeks back, and knew that it was probably true that Ron and Hermione are just friends now, and he probably didn't have any love interest at the moment.

It was a relieving thought, not that she would admit it.

 

* * *

 

She owled Blaise Zabini, another friend she'd become familiar with after the war, and he agreed to go with her to the Ministry Gala in a heartbeat.

_'Of course I would be honored to go with the most beautiful girl in the whole Ministry,'_  he wrote.

She rolled her eyes and wrote back,  _'Flattery won't get you everywhere.'_

_'No, but I had **my**  beauty for that, right?'_

She didn't reply to that one, and a few hours later he sent another owl.

_'Thanks for the stunned silence at the admiration of my beauty. I know you have excellent taste.'_

She wondered again, how she became friends with someone so vain.

 

* * *

 

Blaise showed up at her apartment an hour before the Gala, wearing a perfectly tailored suit. He leant on her doorframe lazily, his dark eyes shining bright, his charming smile disarming.

_Maybe that's why,_  she lamented, her knees suddenly feeling a bit weak. But they were going to the gala as just friends, though.

She wondered why she had that many 'just friends'.

 

* * *

 

Blaise was a natural good dancer. They waltzed for a while to the music, while he told her about his predictions on the next few months fashion trends with full confidence, and she told him about her sister and Lavender Brown's shopping trip to Paris 2 weeks ago.

After a while, they stopped for a rest, and Blaise went to greet some of his Slytherin friends, and Padma found herself fetching the drinks alongside Ron.

"Hey," he said overly the music. "Having fun?"

"Yeah, lots," she replied immediately. "You?"

"Same," he laughed, bright and warm. "Hey, this reminds me – I never apologized about the Yule Ball, you know."

She gave him an amused smile. "Yeah, you didn't. It's all in the past, though."

"Maybe. But – I'm really sorry. I was a horrible date."

She smirked a bit. "You were."

Ron flushed a bit, and Padma heard a smooth voice interrupting them. "He totally was."

They turned, and saw Blaise Zabini standing there, a delighted, devilish grin on his face. If Padma wasn't so busy at staring at Blaise herself, she might've noticed Ron flushed even more at the sight of Blaise.

"How about I show you how a perfect gentleman treat his date, Weasley?" Blaise proposed, his voice a long, sexy drawl.

Padma rolled her eyes a bit and was prepared to open her mouth to ask Blaise to stop, that what happened between Ron and her was a long time ago. She thought that this was probably some sort of male dominance game, and that Blaise was probably preparing to take her on another dance, only with more showing off and stuff. As much fun as it might be, she thought that it made her seemed like some trophy to be won between the two guys, and she wasn't really fond of that.

She caught herself abruptly as Blaise extended an arm towards Ron.

"Give us one song, love?" Blaise winked at Padma, easily catching onto Ron's hands, pulling him towards the dance floor.

 

* * *

 

When Ron fully processed what just happened in the mere few seconds, he was already dancing with Blaise Zabini at top speed. A part of him was screaming at the absurdity of the whole situation, but a greater part was secretly enjoying all this.

"Easy, Ron," Zabini murmured, his voice low and honey smooth. "Just follow my lead."

Zabini's hand slowly slid down his back, sending an anticipative shudder down Ron's spine. At the visible shudder, Zabini's mouth quirked upwards into an elegant smirk, and Ron felt dazed. He let Zabini twirled him, sliding across the dance floor in a fast speed.

It felt surreal.

It felt  _thrilling_.

It made him almost – almost – forgot about his secret crush that he'd been developing on Padma ever since the two started working together, as his attention got diverted by every amazing sensation his heightened senses felt as he danced with Zabini.

"Like that?" Zabini murmured, his baritone sounding musical.

"Yeah," Ron answered automatically, before fully realizing what he'd just admitted to, drawing a sharp breath.

"Excellent," Zabini grinned, flashing his brilliantly white teeth. And Ron found them slowing down, and eventually stopping beside Padma. Zabini's grin widened at Padma's shocked eyes.

"Care to join us, my lady?" Zabini smirked at Padma, letting his right hand slid down a bit further down from Ron's back to his arse, before letting the hand drop and flicking it upwards lightly, extending it at Padma.

"Have you …  _planned_  this?" Padma asked slowly, incredulous.

"Well, it's not my fault that I'm intelligent and observant," Zabini shrugged innocently. "Two of my finer qualities that you'll  _both_  have time to appreciate more later. In the meantime … shall we dance?"

And dance they did.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on [tumblr](https://ff-sunset-oasis.tumblr.com)


End file.
